I have a number of "sun shirts" and as someone who had a 35 plus year career in an outdoor intercollegiate athletics sport I have always worn sunscreen and gear (Tilley hats, ect...) but I have never worn long pants in sun/heat/humidity....in my last dermatologist/skin check appointment they suggested it is time to "cover up your legs"....so I am looking to see what gear/long pants people here have found to be effective in blocking UVA/UVB rays yet are also comfortable/reasonable to wear in hot/humid conditions ?

Thank you in advance for your time/information !

I just wear a pair of khaki colored, cotton cargo pants - they seem fine to reflect the heat and my legs never get burnt.

I always found that the sun beating down on my legs was more uncomfortable than having my legs covered up with long, light weight, quick dry pants. I have very light skin and sunburn easily so there’s that too.

I wear REI Trailmade hiking pants (I'm a bank fisherman). They are lightweight, repel water, dry fast, and provide UPF 50+ sun protection.

I wear Levi’s ATG pants in the boat almost every day that I’m in it. I have a set laid out for tomorrow. When it starts to get cold, I wear the fleece lined versions. When it gets really cold I put thermal underwear under them. Tomorrow I have shorts that I’ll wear under them and when it gets really hot I’ll strip off the pants and put on sunscreen, but that’s only if it is 90+ and sunny. I also wear these same pants from September to April or so just as general wear. I’ve worn them hunting, I’ve worn them hiking, I wear them everywhere.

Previously, I used Columbia zip on zip off shorts/pants which were upf 50 and super lightweight.

Pretty much any lightweight nylon pant is what you want. You'll just need to find a brand/fit and options you like/want. Looser fit is better for breathability. I have a pair of Columbia PFG pants that convert to shorts. They have to be 10 plus years old. The material is going strong. Unfortunately the elastic waistband lost its stretch a long time ago so I'm left with only the drawstring, which really isn't enough to keep them up. I would stay away from full elastic waistbands. They don't last very long.

Shorts. SPF 50.

I wear lightweight HUK, Columbia PFG and Simms pants.

Just not all at the same time.

A-Jay

I also had a pair of Columbia light weight pants that I wore every time I went. They lasted about six years before the synthetic non-shrinking material suddenly shrunk. Either that or I got bigger, but there is no way of knowing which actually happened. Anyways, I just tried some other lightweight nylon pants like Kevin suggested and they worked out fine.

I have been wearing the outdoor/fishing pants from BPS for YEARS! I like these pants because they have several big pockets that are very useful to me when I'm fishing/working on the boat.

I have just started wearing the Wrangler ATC pants. The UPF is 50. $30 at Wal Mart. They are very comfortable and not really that hot. I started wearing them because I had 2 skin cancers cut off my legs.

NO PANTS!

That’s how I fish… keeps the other people from crowding my spot. Hahaha

Just kidding on the no pants thing, usually shorts and something that dries fast. I sometimes take dip just cool off and refresh.

2 pair of Columbia PFG pants, switch off, 5 years now, work great.

I have been wearing the same pants for decades and they look it. They're quick to dry and and lower legs detach to turn them into shorts.